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• [1]Book
• [2]Workshop
• [3]Podcast
• [4]Newsletter
• [5]Home
• [6]Work
• [7]Blog
• [8]Speaking
• [9]Music
• [10]About
• [11]Contact
[12] EJS logo
• [13]Book
• [14]Workshop
• [15]Podcast
• [16]Newsletter
• [17]Home
• [18]Work
• [19]Blog
• [20]Speaking
• [21]Music
• [22]About
• [23]Contact
2023 in review
Article illustration for 2023 in review
Published
31 January 2024
Tagged
• [24]#year-in-review
• [25]#work
• [26]#life
• [27]#music
Check out my newsletter, [28]Typographic & Sporadic!
It’s [29]that time again, when I like to dedicate the first blog post of every
year to looking back on the year that’s just been. Much like [30]Chris said in
[31]his post, this is more of a recap than a list of highlights. That’s not to
say that 2023 was a bad year — far from it — but it was certainly one of the
more challenging ones from a work perspective.
Without a doubt, my year was dominated by the writing, illustrating, and
designing of my forthcoming book, [32]Universal Principles of Typography, which
will be published this April. Although I’d started writing the book in 2022,
the bulk of it was written in 2023, followed by the actual illustration and
design portion of the work. Creating this book permeated all parts of my life
and I probably mentioned it to every single person I interacted with. I’m sorry
if that was you.
The “challenging” part essentially came down to three things: the book’s
dominance (which required me to give up on client work), my Google contract
ending after Q1, and us having committed to getting a new kitchen (a decision
made in more stable financial times). But it also taught me a valuable lesson
about how much I’d been taking the well-paid work for granted, and indeed my
ability to get work. This also neatly fed into an ongoing question around what
it is I can and want to do.
But, overall, 2023 was great, and I’m so thankful for that. My dominant memory
of the year as a whole is that I spent loads of time with my kids, especially
during the various school holidays. But I’m mindful of putting photos of my
kids on the internet, so let’s find some other things to write about:
—
My first speaking engagement of the year was a very nice [33]webinar with
Vitaly in January — the first of many collaborations with the lovely folks at
[34]Smashing in 2023.
I mentioned on an Instagram story (tap through [35]this highlight) that I’d
settled into a new routine: spending every Sunday morning working on [36]the
book from a café in Bristol while Thea attended a theatre school. This
continued for the first half of of the year.
In February, in an attempt to hit my “50% text” deadline for the book, I took
myself off on what you might describe as a writing retreat. It only lasted one
day and was less than an hour away from home, but it’s something I look back
upon now with a very fond memories. Essentially, I stayed in a shepherd’s hut
in the back of someone’s garden and just wrote and wrote and wrote. And it
worked! I fully intend to write a dedicated post about this, because honestly
it was one of the best parts of my entire book-writing experience.
A photo highlight from 2023
In the middle of February, we got Benji — a rescue dog from a shelter in
Cyprus, who we’d been in the process of adopting for several months. After a
pretty epic journey to the UK, he finally made it to us, and has essentially
been snuggled up on our laps ever since. And, thankfully, he and Ozzy (who’s
now 12) are the best of friends. In many ways, 2023 was the year of Benji.
A photo highlight from 2023
Oh, and Benji’s name was the kids’ idea, by the way. It was that or
“Toothpaste” so you can see why we settled for the former.
All on my lonesome, I drove over to Cardiff to see Gojira, supported by Alien
Weaponry. It was a great gig.
A photo highlight from 2023
In March, I taught my [37]Typography Masterclass for SmashingConf for the first
time. 5 × 2.5-hour sessions, spread out over weeks. It was pretty intense, but
I loved it, and met some really nice participants in the process. I also
discovered how handy it is using an iPad as a secondary display.
A photo highlight from 2023
[38]Emma finished designing [39]the hand-lettered logo I’d commissioned, and I
decided to put it on some new business cards. Yeah, I know no-one does business
cards these days, but I felt like it deserved to exist in the real world
somewhere.
A photo highlight from 2023
Music-wise, 2023 was a pretty quiet year, both for [40]me as an artist and also
for [41]my label, but March was my / our first output: a four-track compilation
called [42]V/A Three, to which I contributed the track ‘Hour’.
At the end of the month, I flew over to New York to attend [43]Kinference, the
spiritual successor to [44]Brooklyn Beta. It was so good to see so many
internet / conference friends in real life. Shout out to [45]Doc, [46]Daniel,
[47]David, [48]Jessica, [49]Craig, [50]Josh, [51]Matthew, [52]Matthew, [53]Ben,
Michael, and Yaron! Probably way more.
A photo highlight from 2023
As Q1 came to an end, so did my contract with Google. Although I needed to look
for work, I buried my head in the sand for a bit and we spent one of the first
weeks of April holidaying in Cornwall. It was such a great trip, and the
cottage we stayed in — which I found via [54]Cornish Hideaways and was way
cheaper than you’d get on Airbnb — was beautiful, tucked away down a grassy
track.
A photo highlight from 2023
Really I could just fill this post with a tonne of Cornwall photos, but again:
kids on the internet and all that.
After we returned from Cornwall, we went to [55]Gifford’s Circus again (I can’t
recommend it enough, and I don’t like circuses).
Earlier in the year, we’d decided to get a new kitchen done, and everything
finally kicked off in May. We spent a couple of weeks living around all of the
new furniture that had to be stored in the living room, and we turned the spare
bedroom into a sort of temporary kitchen thanks to a microwave. It was total
chaos while the old kitchen was destroyed...
A photo highlight from 2023
... but the new one was totally worth the hassle.
A photo highlight from 2023
For [56]Sam’s birthday the previous year, I’d bought her a voucher to go wine
tasting at a [57]local biodynamic vineyard, and we went along for a tour on a
beautiful spring day. Tasting the natural wines while sat in the vineyard,
where they’re produced in an entirely closed loop system, was pretty amazing.
A photo highlight from 2023
Also in May, I spoke at [58]AllFlows in Milton Keynes — a new event run by the
people behind [59]MK Geek Night (which [60]I’ve spoken at in the past). It was
a great event and I thoroughly enjoyed the talk given by Jennifer Estaris, who
works at [61]ustwo Games. She spoke (amongst other things) about [62]Alba, a
game I immediately went home and bought for our Switch, knowing that the girls
would love it. (They did.)
A photo highlight from 2023
Got some more [63]Doc and [64]Chris action in, too.
A photo highlight from 2023
In June, I decided I couldn’t keep quiet about the book any longer, so did [65]
an announcement post on social media and [66]a blog post here on this site. The
kids got chicken pox. We put various solar-powered lights up around our garden.
A photo highlight from 2023
Threads launched in July, and despite my general skepticism of Meta, [67]I
signed up straight away and I have to say that I love it. (A few months in, and
it — along with [68]Mastodon — is the X / Twitter replacement I needed.)
With the school summer holidays (and therefore plenty of childcare)
approaching, it became clear that there was no way I’d hit my book deadline if
I was also juggling client work, so I made the difficult but inevitable
decision to not seek out more work until the summer was over, and instead
dedicate all of my non-childcare hours to finishing the book. At the time, this
made me incredibly anxious, but in hindsight, the extra time spent with the
kids over the holidays made it totally worthwhile, and I’d do it again in a
heartbeat.
[69]Lauren visited from LA and took this nice family photo:
A photo highlight from 2023
At the end of the month, I got a draft of the book ready to send to [70]Ellen
so that she could write her foreword. I commemorated the occasion with a beer
and [71]an Instagram reel.
Having gone to Cornwall in the Easter holidays, we decided to keep our summer
trip pretty minimal and opted for a brief camping trip in Wales in August. We
didn’t realise quite how short it would be, however: camping in 40mph winds is
rarely a good idea, but definitely not a good idea if [72]the campsite is on a
clifftop overlooking the sea. After a disastrous (and, at times, kind of scary)
night, after which almost the entire campsite had vacated, we decided to head
home and book ourselves a consolatory trip.
So, towards the end of the summer holidays, we took a trip to Yorkshire (photo
at the top) and stayed in a beautiful (and sturdy) cabin in the middle of the
woods right by the moors. Truly idyllic. But a three-day trip was way too short
and we’re all desperate to return.
Another highlight: navigating [73]Bath’s maize maze with the [74]Clarke family.
With the kids back in school in the first week of September, I flew over to
Freiburg to speak at [75]SmashingConf.
A photo highlight from 2023
It was so nice to return to the city, see a bunch of my European friends (shout
out to [76]Marc, [77]Tobi, and the whole Smashing crew) and I even got to have
dinner with [78]Francis, who I’d not seen IRL in years.
A photo highlight from 2023
And, with my book deadline the following week, I made the final edits [79]from
a beautiful biergarten. Shortly after, I got to announce that [80]Ellen had
written the book’s foreword.
A photo highlight from 2023
The label Indefinite Pitch released a split single from me and Mechanist, to
which I contributed the track [81]‘Close’.
Once again, we attended the [82]Priston festival, and this time brought [83]
Francis along.
Also in September, I launched my podcast, [84]Hello, type friends! I’d been
saying that there was another project that was “typographic in nature” for a
while, and had even recorded most of the episodes at this point. The launch
episode, with [85]Jessica, seemed to go down really well.
Not long after my birthday in October, I cut my hair! I’d deciding to grow it
long in early 2018 because I’d always wanted to have long hair, but never been
brave enough to see it through that awkward, Darth Vader helmet kind of phase.
I persevered and had it properly long since around the end of 2019, but, given
that I was mainly just wearing it up in a man-bun most of the time, it was time
to go short again by October 2023. I haven’t yet regretted that decision.
A photo highlight from 2023
[86]Sam and I had our 10th wedding anniversary in 2022, but in 2023, we
celebrated 20(!) years of being together, and took a bottle of bubbly out to a
spot in Shropshire we’d originally visited when we first started dating.
[87]Jamie mentioned that [88]Ellen would be speaking in London, giving [89]a
lecture at St. Bride’s, so we went along and met [90]Phil and [91]Sarah there,
too. Also used the opportunity to have lunch with [92]Tom.
Around that time, I launched the second episode of Hello, type friends! With
[93]Dan.
Client work finally got back on track in October, too, and I started working
with [94]The Type Founders on [95]a new website for P22. This would be the
first of many collaborations (I’m working with them right now, in fact). More
soon.
November was a very musical month. With some financial security restored, [96]
Sam and I decided to buy something we’d wanted for a long time: a piano. Just a
digital one, of course, but with 88 fully weighted keys — one that felt proper.
I also treated myself to a little Orange amplifier so that I could play
electric guitar in the house again.
I finally got to meet [97]Luke (who I’ve now been working with for a while on
[98]the Mote-Evolver cover art) in person, over dinner with [99]Sinead and
[100]Charles. Then, a few days later, Sinead, Charles, and [101]Paraorchestra
opened the new [102]Bristol Beacon with [103]an incredible show, and [104]Sam
and I got some great seats.
A photo highlight from 2023
In early December, I met up with [105]Ilana from [106]Good Type, who was
randomly in Bristol. I also put out my first EP of new music in a year in the
form of [107]All the faults, all lined up.
[108]All the faults, all lined up by Other Form
For [109]Sam’s birthday, I bought her an accordion and some lessons. I’d
actually bought this before we decided on the piano, but hey. Lots of
instruments in the house now!
I launched the third episode of the podcast, this time with [110]Erik.
On the last day “working” day of the year, I attended [111]Table Talk, a very
small event organised by my friend and former business partner [112]Keir. It
provided a much-needed dose of inspiration for the new year.
In the week before Christmas, [113]Sam and I try to make it as special as
possible to get the kids (and us) properly excited for the festive season. This
year, our pre-Christmas week of fun included seeing the [114]lights at
Stourhead, visiting Lacock Abbey (and eating at [115]a gorgeous pub from the
1400s), and visiting the roman villa at [116]The Newt with [117]Jamie and
family.
Some other bits
A personal highlight was the audio messages [118]Ty and I frequently sent (and
continue to send) each other via iMessages or Instagram DMs. I’m not sure who
started it, or when, but recording little snippets about what we’ve each been
up to has been a really nice way to communicate — and become friends — at a
distance. And, because of this, I’m so grateful to Ty for effectively becoming
my audio diary throughout the book writing process.
I deeply regret not having managed my annual “wilderness day”, which I talked
about a lot in my [119]2022 and [120]2021 recaps. There’s no excuse, but
somehow it just didn’t work out. However, I’m hoping to rectify that by getting
one in very early this year (it’s scheduled for this Friday, in fact) in the
hopes of doing another later on in the year.
At some point in the summer holidays, I lost my 500-ish day [121]Duolingo
streak, and that triggered a big lull in my commitment there. It picked up
again eventually, but I’m disappointed that I let it slip. I also let
meditation slip, and opened [122]Calm less and less as the year went on. I also
barely jogged the whole year. Bloody shameful.
But [123]I watched 68 films in 2023! Some highlights: The Banshees of
Inisherin, Wonka, The Creator, One Cut of the Dead, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, Swan
Song, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, You Won’t Be Alone, Hostiles, and all of the
Mission: Impossible films (none of which I’d actually seen before). I rewatched
quite a lot, too, like Edge of Tomorrow, Bo Burnham: Inside, Blade Runner 2049,
Annihilation.
Lastly, I want to once again mention [124]the newsletter, which really grew in
2023. When I say “grew”, I don’t just mean in number of subscribers, but more
in that it’s become a real focus for me. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that,
in many ways, it was my favourite thing to work on last year. I still struggle
to articulate exactly why that is, but thank you if you’ve subscribed. I very
much appreciate it, and I’ve got big plans for it this year.
Previous post
[125]A newsletter manifesto that benefits readers & publishers
Music
Outside of my life as a designer, I also make electronic music as Other Form.
My tracks have been played by some of the world’s biggest DJs in some of the
world’s biggest clubs, and [126]Charlotte de Witte even opened a set with one
of them. You can listen to my music on all the usual streaming services (apart
from some vinyl-only EPs) and you can find my most recent releases below:
V/A Three
Unknown Movements
[127] EP cover
My label’s latest compilation features four tracks, including a much slower
(than usual) number from me.
[128]Listen [129]Buy
Neanthe
trau-ma
[130] EP cover
Releasing music can sometimes feel like shouting into the ether, so it’s always
incredibly rewarding when someone wants to put it out on one of your favourite
labels. My latest EP is out now on Robert Hoff’s tra-ma label and the title
track was played by Luke Slater during his set at Berghain on New Year’s Eve
2022.
[131]Listen [132]Buy
Oktober: revisit
Unknown Movements
[133] EP cover
I revisited my track “Oktober” five years after its original release and
invited a bunch of friends along to remix it for a total of 9 new versions.
[134]Listen [135]Buy
Follow Other Form
• [136]Bandcamp (label)
• [137]Instagram
• [138]SoundCloud
© 2005 – 2024 Elliot Jay Stocks. All rights reserved. Proudly powered by [139]
Kirby & [140]GURU. Want to know more? [141]I’m so glad you asked.
References:
[1] https://elliotjaystocks.com/book
[2] https://elliotjaystocks.com/workshop
[3] https://elliotjaystocks.com/podcast
[4] https://elliotjaystocks.com/newsletter
[5] https://elliotjaystocks.com/
[6] https://elliotjaystocks.com/work
[7] https://elliotjaystocks.com/blog
[8] https://elliotjaystocks.com/speaking
[9] https://elliotjaystocks.com/blog/2023-in-review/#music
[10] https://elliotjaystocks.com/about
[11] https://elliotjaystocks.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a781849697969c818496979f9c818496979f9c81849697929c81849696969c81849696919c81849791939c81849697969c818496979f9c818496979f9c81849697929c81849696969c81849696919c81849697919c8184979e909c81849695969c81849696929c81849696919c81849696969c8184979e9e9c81849697909c81849696929c81849793919c8184979e9e9c81849696969c818496979e9c
[12] https://elliotjaystocks.com/
[13] https://elliotjaystocks.com/book
[14] https://elliotjaystocks.com/workshop
[15] https://elliotjaystocks.com/podcast
[16] https://elliotjaystocks.com/newsletter
[17] https://elliotjaystocks.com/
[18] https://elliotjaystocks.com/work
[19] https://elliotjaystocks.com/blog
[20] https://elliotjaystocks.com/speaking
[21] https://elliotjaystocks.com/blog/2023-in-review/#music
[22] https://elliotjaystocks.com/about
[23] https://elliotjaystocks.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e7c1c4d6d7d6dcc1c4d6d7dfdcc1c4d6d7dfdcc1c4d6d7d2dcc1c4d6d6d6dcc1c4d6d6d1dcc1c4d7d1d3dcc1c4d6d7d6dcc1c4d6d7dfdcc1c4d6d7dfdcc1c4d6d7d2dcc1c4d6d6d6dcc1c4d6d6d1dcc1c4d6d7d1dcc1c4d7ded0dcc1c4d6d5d6dcc1c4d6d6d2dcc1c4d6d6d1dcc1c4d6d6d6dcc1c4d7dededcc1c4d6d7d0dcc1c4d6d6d2dcc1c4d7d3d1dcc1c4d7dededcc1c4d6d6d6dcc1c4d6d7dedc
[24] https://elliotjaystocks.com/blog/tag:year-in-review
[25] https://elliotjaystocks.com/blog/tag:work
[26] https://elliotjaystocks.com/blog/tag:life
[27] https://elliotjaystocks.com/blog/tag:music
[28] https://elliotjaystocks.com/newsletter
[29] https://elliotjaystocks.com/blog/tag:year-in-review
[30] https://shiflett.org/
[31] https://shiflett.org/blog/2024/2023-recap
[32] https://elliotjaystocks.com/book
[33] https://youtu.be/bSydhL7NzVg?si=eQYxUhUT1QYZd-R4
[34] https://smashingconf.com/online-workshops/
[35] https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17957403836320808/_
[36] https://elliotjaystocks.com/book
[37] https://smashingconf.com/online-workshops/workshops/elliot-jay-stocks-web-typography/
[38] https://typographictreats.com/
[39] https://elliotjaystocks.com/blog/i_have_a_logo_now
[40] https://otherform.uk/
[41] https://unknownmovements.bandcamp.com/music
[42] https://fanlink.to/um017
[43] https://kinference.com/
[44] https://brooklynbeta.org/
[45] https://www.drbparsons.co/
[46] https://www.howellsstudio.com/
[47] https://itsdavidhughes.com/
[48] https://jessicahische.is/
[49] https://craigmod.com/
[50] https://jbrewer.me/
[51] https://matthewbuchanan.name/
[52] https://twitter.com/whale
[53] https://blog.adobe.com/en/authors/benjamin-welch
[54] https://www.cornwallhideaways.co.uk/
[55] https://giffordscircus.com/
[56] https://samanthastocks.com/
[57] https://limeburnhillvineyard.co.uk/
[58] https://allflows.live/
[59] https://mkgeeknight.co.uk/
[60] https://mkgeeknight.co.uk/events/mkgn-26#Elliot
[61] https://www.ustwogames.co.uk/
[62] https://www.albawildlife.com/
[63] https://www.drbparsons.co/
[64] https://armstrong.is/
[65] https://www.instagram.com/p/CuG2fp7quBp/
[66] https://elliotjaystocks.com/blog/the-big-book-announcement
[67] https://www.threads.net/@elliotjaystocks
[68] https://mastodon.social/@elliotjaystocks
[69] https://www.laurenjpiper.com/
[70] https://ellenlupton.com/
[71] https://www.instagram.com/p/CvPyW6IqhwY/
[72] https://threecliffsbay.com/
[73] https://pickingpatch.com/maize-maze-pick-your-own-sunflowers/
[74] https://jamieclarketype.com/
[75] https://smashingconf.com/freiburg-2023/schedule/#day3-elliot-jay-stocks
[76] https://marcthiele.com/
[77] https://www.tobi-lessnow.com/
[78] https://www.francischouquet.com/
[79] https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw2bwr3q0yT/
[80] https://ellenlupton.com/
[81] https://indefinitepitch.bandcamp.com/album/destinations-ep-17
[82] https://www.priston.org.uk/festival/
[83] https://francisbooth.uk/
[84] https://hellotypefriends.com/
[85] https://jessicahische.is/
[86] https://samanthastocks.com/
[87] https://jamieclarketype.com/
[88] https://ellenlupton.com/
[89] https://sbf.org.uk/whats-on/view/the-beatrice-warde-memorial-lecture/
[90] https://www.monotype.com/studio/phil-garnham
[91] https://www.typetasting.com/
[92] https://hellomuller.com/
[93] https://simplebits.com/
[94] https://thetypefounders.com/
[95] https://www.threads.net/@p22typefoundry/post/C0fAixQyRa-
[96] https://samanthastocks.com/
[97] https://www.lukeslater.com/
[98] https://mote-evolver-label.bandcamp.com/music
[99] https://www.instagram.com/sinead_surgeonsgirl/
[100] https://www.charleshazlewood.com/
[101] https://paraorchestra.com/
[102] https://bristolbeacon.org/
[103] https://bristolbeacon.org/whats-on/trip-the-light-fantastic/
[104] https://samanthastocks.com/
[105] https://www.ilanagriffo.com/
[106] https://goodtype.us/
[107] https://fanlink.to/um018
[108] https://unknownmovements.bandcamp.com/album/all-the-faults-all-lined-up
[109] https://samanthastocks.com/
[110] https://www.spiekileaks.com/
[111] https://keirwhitaker.com/tabletalk/
[112] https://keirwhitaker.com/
[113] https://samanthastocks.com/
[114] https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wiltshire/stourhead/christmas-lights-at-stourhead
[115] https://www.signoftheangel.co.uk/
[116] https://thenewtinsomerset.com/
[117] https://jamieclarketype.com/
[118] https://tyfromtheinternet.com/
[119] https://www.notion.so/2023-in-review-5eb2ddcfea4b4858b0c7df74f6e16430?pvs=21
[120] https://www.notion.so/2023-in-review-5eb2ddcfea4b4858b0c7df74f6e16430?pvs=21
[121] https://www.duolingo.com/
[122] https://www.calm.com/
[123] https://letterboxd.com/elliotjaystocks/films/diary/for/2023/
[124] https://elliotjaystocks.com/newsletter
[125] https://elliotjaystocks.com/blog/a-newsletter-manifesto
[126] https://www.youtube.com/live/PQm3c-BoT9M?feature=share&t=307
[127] https://fanlink.to/um017
[128] https://fanlink.to/um017
[129] https://unknownmovements.bandcamp.com/album/v-a-three
[130] https://fanlink.to/neanthe
[131] https://fanlink.to/neanthe
[132] https://trau-ma.bandcamp.com/album/neanthe
[133] https://fanlink.to/um014
[134] https://fanlink.to/um014
[135] https://unknownmovements.bandcamp.com/album/oktober-revisit
[136] https://unknownmovements.bandcamp.com/
[137] https://www.instagram.com/otherformuk/
[138] https://soundcloud.com/otherform
[139] https://getkirby.com/
[140] https://my.guru.co.uk/aff.php?aff=7098
[141] https://elliotjaystocks.com/about